Tuesday, September 28 2021 16:58

ArmInfo. The criminal case initiated on corruption, another schematic-financial abuse case during the implementation of the North-South road corridor program  has been sent to court, the press service of the Prosecutor General's  Office of Armenia reports.

According to the information, based on the totality of sufficient  evidence received, the investigation revealed a criminal scheme of  tax evasion on an especially large scale, by withdrawing funds from  the accounts provided for the implementation of the program, issuing  tax invoices for the provision of services, without providing the  appropriate service, unjustified tax cuts commitments, creating the  illusion of the fulfillment of obligations by employees and heads of  contractor companies, as well as consulting roads within the  framework of the Reconstruction and improvement of the M1 Talin to  Gyumri Road subprogram . The damage caused as a result of applying  this scheme is estimated at more than 2.7 billion drams.  

According to the supervisory authority, inspectors from the SRC were  also involved in the process. The charges were brought against,  director of "Multi Group" company and actual manager of "Stones" LLC  Sedrak Arustamyan, coordinators of the company's work Gurgen Sargsyan  and Suren Avagyan, chief accountant of the company and two employees,  as well as an employee of a private enterprise engaged in printing  products.

During the preliminary investigation, 1 billion drams was transferred  to the deposit account of the RA Penitentiary System as a guarantee  of compensation for the damage caused by the criminal actions  committed by the above-mentioned managers and employees of "Stones"  LLC.  

Earlier, the Investigative Committee reported that Sedrak  Arustanmyan, together with Gurgen Sargsyan, who held the post of  Minister of Transport and Communications from 2008 to 2010, and Suren  Avagyan, heading the Stones company, made a fictitious deal with a  Chinese contractor company engaged in the construction of the Talin  section of the - Lanjik-Gyumri of the North-South highway. Sedrak  Arustamyan was charged with large-scale money laundering, complicity  in pseudo-business and evasion of taxes, duties or other obligatory  payments made during the development and implementation of the  North-South Road Corridor program. Charges were also brought against  Gurgen Sargsyan, Suren Avagyan, directors of the "EMS Consulting" and  "Gevorgyan Consulting".companies. On March 23, 2020, the chief  accountant of the Stones company was charged under the article of the  Criminal Code "Complicity in taking a bribe" and bail was applied as  a preventive measure.  However, new circumstances soon emerged. The  Chief Accountant, with the aim of substantiating that the sums  received as a result of money laundering were allegedly spent by  Stones to fulfill its contractual obligations within the framework of  the North-South Road Corridor program, to hide the traces of a  possible crime and for a number of other reasons, on February 1 2020  gave cash book for a Stones private entrepreneur printing products to  change some of the pages in it. On February 7, the altered cash book  was returned to the accused. The chief accountant made false  additions to the mentioned book, as well as to the cash books of the  "EMS Consulting" and "Gevorgyan Consulting" companies, after which  the forged documents were submitted for signature and approval to the  directors of the two companies and the treasurer of "Stones". On  April 16, they were presented to the body carrying out the  proceedings. On July 21, 2020, it was decided to change and  supplement the charges brought against the chief accountant.

On the same day, a new charge was brought against him under articles  of the Criminal Code "False Entrepreneurship", "Legalization of  Illegal Income", "Complicity in the evasion of taxes, duties or other  obligatory payments", "Mediation in bribery", as well as  "Counterfeiting , sale or use of documents, stamps, seals, forms,  state numbers of vehicles ".  The project of creating a "North-South  transport corridor " with a total length of 556 km will provide  access to the Black Sea and to European countries through the  territory of Armenia (Meghri-Kapan-Goris- Yerevan-Ashtarak-Gyumri-  Bavra) and Georgia. The investment program is aimed at providing  communication between the north (border with Georgia) and the south  of Armenia (border with Iran) through transport communications that  meet high international standards, and access to world markets. The  corridor was originally planned to be completed in 2019.